Guano is more than an unsightly mess. It’s a significant biohazard living in your attic right alongside the bats that make it.
Professional assessment and removal are necessary to get both the bats and the guano out of your home. And it’s vital to understand why bat guano is such a serious problem.
What is guano?
Guano is the term for bat droppings. They look a little like bat droppings: small, dark poo pellets. Sometimes they’re shiny.
Bats are pretty indiscriminate about where they leave guano, so eventually you get big smelly piles of the stuff.
Why is guano such a health hazard?
Any excrement is a health hazard.
But guano tends to grow a fungus called histoplasma capsulatum, a dangerous fungus that thrives in moist, nitrogen-rich environments.
This means you can start breathing in fungal spores. Soon, you might start suffering from mild, flu-like symptoms…or you can start experiencing severe respiratory problems. If anyone in your home already has respiratory problems, then they are going to be especially at risk.
If you believe you’ve been exposed, it’s important to go to a doctor right away.
Histoplasmosis isn’t the only health hazard. Guano can also attract insects like cockroaches, beetles, and mites, which can then spread throughout your home, infesting it and attracting brand new problems. If you’ve ever tried to get rid of a cockroach infestation, you know this for yourself!
How Guano Causes Structural Damage
Guano is quite acidic. This means it’s highly corrosive. It can degrade the wood in your rafters and joints, can destroy your insulation, ruining its R-value, and can destroy the drywall ceilings below the attic space.
Large accumulations of guano can add significant weight to your home, stressing attic structures.
How EWS Helps
Once we get the bats out of your home, we help you get in touch with remediation services that can clean all the guano out of your attic. We have contact with some of the best services in Houston.
Stop the guano! Contact us to end your bat problem today.